System and method for detecting gas recirculation or airway occlusion

ABSTRACT

An electronic display device includes a housing for an electronic display to form an assembly. A thermal management subsystem forms part of the assembly and utilizes ingested ambient air from immediately outside said assembly to thermal manage the assembly. Data is received from one or more sensors pertaining to at least one characteristic of the ingested ambient air at times during operation of the assembly. Operating parameters of the assembly are automatically adjusted when the data indicates a difference in the measured at least one characteristic at the times, and when said difference exceeds a threshold value.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/684,728 filed Mar. 2, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/984,739 filed Aug. 4, 2020, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/440,531 filed Jun. 13,2019, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/684,996 filed Jun. 14, 2018, the disclosure of each of which arehereby incorporated by reference as if fully restated herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to asystem and method for detecting gas recirculation or airway occlusion.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Electronic displays are increasingly being used in both indoor andoutdoor applications. Such electronic displays are sometimes placed inassemblies with a ruggedized housing to facilitate use of the electronicdisplay in various indoor or outdoor environments. However, theseelectronic displays and related equipment generate heat which may needto be removed. To thermally manage the display assemblies, sometimesfans are utilized which move gas through the display assemblies. Forexample, ambient air may be moved through the housing of the displayassembly in an open loop. In exemplary embodiments, circulating gas mayalso be moved through the display assembly in a closed loop. Thecirculating gas may be made to thermally interact with the ambient airin the open loop. Fans may be installed at various locations tofacilitate the movement of gas through the open and closed loops.

The display assembly may ingest relatively cool, ambient air. Theambient air may be passed through the display assembly where it absorbsthe heat within the display assembly. Sometimes, this is accomplished bycausing the relatively cool ambient air to thermally interact withrelatively warm, heat generating components of the display assembly.Such components may include, but are not limited to, the backlight.Alternatively, or in addition, the display assembly may be thermallymanaged by causing the ambient air to thermally interact with the closedloop of relatively warm circulating gas. In such cases, the circulatinggas in the closed loop may be caused to thermally interact with saidheat generating components of the display assembly. Regardless, the nowheated ambient air may be exhausted from the display assembly andreturned to the ambient environment for cooling. While the ambientenvironment may comprise ambient air of sufficient temperature to coolthe display assembly, the heated, exhaust ambient air may sometimes bere-ingested by the display assembly. This may impact the thermalmanagement capabilities of the display assembly as the re-ingested gasis generally warmer than the rest of the ambient air. Furthermore, theopen loop pathways may periodically be occluded by ingestedcontaminants, debris, or other items, which may impact the thermalmanagement capabilities of the display assembly. Therefore, what isneeded is a system and method for detecting gas recirculation or airwayocclusion in a display assembly.

These disclosures provide a system and method for detecting gasrecirculation or airway occlusion in a display assembly. The location ofthe display assembly may be determined. Weather data for the locationmay be gathered by way of a communications network and network interfacedevice. Additionally, data regarding the characteristics of the ingestedambient air may be gathered. This data may be gathered by sensorslocated on or around the intake for the ambient air and/or at otherlocations along the open loop pathway. The weather data and the dataregarding characteristics of the ingested ambient air may be stored onan electronic storage device. A system control board comprising aprocessor may compare the weather data to the data regarding thecharacteristics of the ingested ambient air. If the measuredcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air match the gathered weatherdata, then the process may be repeated. However, if the measuredcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air do not match the gatheredweather data, then an alert may be generated. The alert may indicatere-ingestion of heated exhaust ambient air or an occlusion in the openloop pathway. Occlusions in the closed loop pathway are unlikely to beexperienced as the closed loop pathway is generally, but notnecessarily, substantially sealed from contaminants and debris which mayotherwise be ingested into the open loop pathway. In exemplaryembodiments, operation of the display assembly may also be adjusted or atechnician may be dispatched to inspect the unit. The speed of the fansand the amount of ambient air ingested may be adjusted to accommodatevarying ambient conditions, such as but not limited to, amount ofsunlight, time of day, temperature, season, and the like.

The backlight is generally a significant source of heat production insuch display assemblies. As such, the power sent to the backlight mayadditionally or alternatively be adjusted in order to reduce the heatgenerated by the display assembly.

The process may be repeated continuously or periodically. In exemplaryembodiments, a margin of error may be used in the match determination toaccount for discrepancies which may be accountable to the inherentvariation in weather conditions at the location the weather data wasgathered at and the location of the display assembly. The margin oferror may alternatively or additionally be based on historicalinformation. The margin of error may be larger during sunrise or sunsetperiods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In addition to the features mentioned above, other aspects of thepresent invention will be readily apparent from the followingdescriptions of the drawings and exemplary embodiments, wherein likereference numerals across the several views refer to identical orequivalent features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating exemplary componentsof an exemplary display assembly;

FIG. 2 is another simplified block diagram illustrating exemplarycomponents of an exemplary display assembly;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary display assembly;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the exemplary display assembly of FIG. 3with a first and second electronic display subassembly in an openposition so as to illustrate additional components of the exemplarydisplay assembly;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the exemplary display assembly of FIG. 3with one of the electronic display subassemblies removed so as toillustrate exemplary air pathways of the exemplary display assembly;

FIG. 6 is a top sectional view of one of the exemplary electronicdisplay subassemblies of FIG. 3 which also illustrates exemplary airpathways;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of exemplary logic that may be used with theexemplary display assemblies; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an exemplary system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription, specific details such as detailed configuration andcomponents are merely provided to assist the overall understanding ofthese embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it should beapparent to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications of the embodiments described herein can be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Inaddition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions areomitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing exemplaryembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the inventiveconcept. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,indicate the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Exemplary system and method embodiments are described herein withreference to illustrations that are schematic in nature and, as such,variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, forexample, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, embodiments of the inventive concept should not beconstrued as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustratedherein but are to include deviations in shapes.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which the inventive concept belongs. Itwill be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonlyused dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

FIG. 1 presents a simplified block diagram of an exemplary displayassembly 100. The display assembly 100 may include a housing 101. Thehousing 101 may partially or completely surround an electronic display104. The electronic display 104 may be any type of electronic display104 such as, but not limited to, liquid crystal, plasma, light-emittingpolymer, organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, and the like. Thehousing 101 may be any size or shape. In exemplary embodiments, thehousing 101 may define a cavity configured to house a variety ofcomponents described herein, including but not limited to the electronicdisplay 104.

A timing and control board (TCON) 108 may be electrically connected tothe electronic display 104. A video player 110 may be electricallyconnected to the TCON 108 and to a system control board 112. The videoplayer 110 and TCON 108 may be configured to display still or videoimages on the electronic display 104, preferably as directed by thesystem control board 112. The images or videos may be stored on anelectronic storage device 118. In some exemplary embodiments, theelectronic storage device 118 may be local to the display assembly 100.In other exemplary embodiments, the electronic storage device 118 may bea networked device that is located remote from the display assembly 100.

The system control board 112 may be configured to provide displaysetting instructions for the electronic display 104. The displaysettings may include, for example and without limitation, what imagesare to be displayed, in what order the images are to be displayed, thelength of time the images are to be displayed, and the like. The systemcontrol board 112 may additionally provide appearance settinginstructions for the electronic display 104. The appearance settings mayinclude, for example and without limitation, levels for brightness,color saturation, warmth, volume, contrast, and the like. The appearanceand display settings may be pre-programmed or may be altered at anytime, such as by a remote user.

The processor 106 may be in electrical connection with the systemcontrol board 112. The processor 106 may direct the system control board112, or other components, to adjust the appearance settings of theelectronic display 104. The system control board 112 may be electricallyconnected to a network interface device 114. The network interfacedevice 114 may facilitate a connection with, and communication over, acommunications network 116 such as, but not limited to, an intranet, theInternet, the world wide web, a cellular network, some combinationthereof, or the like. This connection may permit a remote user to alterthe appearance settings and display settings, and to monitor theperformance and operation of, the display assembly 100.

The system control board 112 may additionally be electrically connectedto a location detection device 120. In exemplary embodiments, thelocation detection device 120 may be a GPS-enabled device. In otherexemplary embodiments, the location detection device 120 may operate bythe use of multilateration, trilateration, etc., of radio tower signals,such as but not limited to, cellular network towers, Wi-Fi routers, andthe like. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize anylocation detection method may be utilized. In other exemplaryembodiments, the location of the display assembly 100 may bepre-programmed. The location of the display assembly 100 may be adjustedperiodically by user input.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating various components that may beused within the same or another exemplary embodiment of a displayassembly 100. One or more power modules 21 may be electrically connectedwith a backplane 22. The backplane 22 may be provided as a printedcircuit board and may be configured to facilitate electricalcommunication and/or power distribution between some or all componentsof the display assembly 100. A display controlling assembly 20 may alsobe electrically connected with the backplane 22. The display controllingassembly 20 preferably includes a number of different components,including but not limited to, the video player 110, electronic storagedevice 118, processor 106, and system control board 112 which areprogrammed to perform any of the logic that is described herein.

The display assembly 100 may comprise a backlight 23, display layer 24,and a front transparent display panel 25. The display layer 24 may be,for example without limitation, a liquid crystal layer. The backlight 23may be, for example without limitation, a CCFL or light emitting diode(LED) backlight, though any kind of illumination device is contemplated.It should be noted that although an LCD type display is illustrated,embodiments can be practiced with any type of electronic image-producingassembly. Thus, other flat panel displays could be used, such as,without limitation, plasma, light-emitting polymer, organic lightemitting diode (OLED) displays, and the like. In embodiments where thedisplay does not include a traditional backlight, such as but notlimited to OLED type displays, then the term “backlight” can be replacedwith “display” and the term “backlight level” can be replaced with“display level.” A fan assembly 26 is also shown for optionally coolingcomponents of the display assembly 100 that may reach elevatedtemperatures. While a single fan assembly 26 is illustrated, it iscontemplated that any number of fan assemblies 26, each including anynumber of fans, may be utilized at any number of locations throughoutthe display assembly 100. One or more temperature sensors 27 may be usedto monitor the temperature of the display assembly 100 and its variouscomponents, and selectively engage the fan assembly 26 when cooling isneeded. In exemplary embodiments, one or more of the temperature sensors27 may be located in close proximity to an intake point for ambient airto measure the temperature of ingested ambient air.

A variety of different electrical inputs/outputs are also shown, and allor only a select few of the inputs/outputs may be practiced with anygiven embodiment. As shown here, an AC power input 30 may deliverincoming power to the backplane 22. A video signal input 31 may beprovided and may be configured to receive video signals from a pluralityof different sources. In an exemplary embodiment, the video signal input31 may be an HDMI input. Two data interface connections 32 and 33 arealso shown to be a part of the exemplary display assembly 100. One ofthe data interface connections may be a RS2332 port or an IEEE 802.3jack that can facilitate user setup and system monitoring. Either formof the connection may permit electrical communication with a personalcomputer. The other data interface connections may include a networkconnection such as an Ethernet port, wireless network connection, asatellite network connection, some combination thereof, or the like.This second data interface connection preferably allows the displayassembly to communicate with the internet and may also permit a remoteuser to communicate with the display assembly 100. The second datainterface connection may also provide video data through a networksource, and may be utilized to transmit display settings, errormessages, and various other forms of data to a website for access andcontrol by the user. Optional audio connections 34 may also be providedfor connection to internal or external speaker assemblies, microphones,or the like. It is not required that the data inputs 31, 32, and 33receive their data through a wired connection, as many embodiments mayutilize wireless networks or satellite networks to transmit data to thedisplay assembly. The various types of wireless/satellite receivers andtransmitters have not been specifically shown due to the large number ofvariable types and arrangements, but such receivers and transmitterswould be well understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

A backlight sensor 29 may be placed within the backlight cavity of thedisplay assembly 100 to measure the brightness level within thebacklight cavity. Additionally, a display light sensor 40 may bepositioned in front of the display layer 24 in order to measure thebrightness level of the display layer 24. Either sensor 29, 40 can beused in a traditional feed-back loop, or otherwise, to evaluate thecontrol signals being sent to the power modules 21 and the resultingbacklight brightness intensity or display brightness intensity generatedin response.

Information for monitoring the status of the various display componentsmay be transmitted through either of the two data interface connections32 and 33, so that the user can be notified when a component may befunctioning improperly, about to fail, or has already failed and mayrequire replacement. The information for monitoring the status of thedisplay may include, but is not limited to: power supply status, powersupply test results, AC input current, temperature sensor readings, fanspeed, video input status, firmware revision, and light level sensorreadings. Also, the user may adjust settings including, but not limitedto: on/off, brightness level, various alert settings, IP address,customer defined text/video, display matrix settings, display of imagesettings via OSD, and various software functions. In some embodiments,these settings can be monitored and altered from either of the two datainterface connections 32 and 33.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another exemplary display assembly 100.The display assembly 100 may comprise one or more electronic displaysubassemblies 312 located on a housing 314. In exemplary embodiments, afirst and second electronic display subassembly 312 may be mounted tothe housing 314 in a hinged fashion such that the electronic displaysubassemblies 312 are capable of being rotated between a closedposition, wherein the electronic display subassembly 312 is in contactwith the housing 314, and an opened position wherein the electronicdisplay subassembly 312 is located away from the housing 314. One ormore openings 316 may be located on or around the housing 314 such thatambient air 328 may be ingested into, or exhausted from, the displayassembly 100. The housing 314 may be configured to permit the displayassembly 100 to be mounted to a sidewalk, the ground, a building, a busshelter, a vehicle, a wall, a billboard, in a window, in a storefront,or the like.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 3 with a first andsecond electronic display subassembly 312 located in an open position soas to illustrate additional components of the display assembly 100. Inexemplary embodiments, the rear surfaces of the two electronic displaysubassemblies 312 and the housing 314 may define a cavity 315 locatedtherebetween. Assist devices may extend between the housing 314 and theelectronic display subassemblies 312 to assist in moving the electronicdisplay subassemblies 312 between the opened and closed positions. Theseassist devices may also assist in securing the electronic displaysubassemblies 312 in the opened or closed positions. The assist devicesmay be gas springs, gas struts, pullies, levels, ratcheting devices,struts, members, springs, counter weights, cams, some combinationthereof, or the like.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the display assembly 100 of FIG. 3 withone of the electronic display subassemblies 312 removed so as toillustrate additional components of the display assembly 100. FIG. 6 isa top sectional view of one of the electronic display subassembly 312 ofFIG. 3 . FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an exemplary flow of ambient air 328and circulating gas 326 through the display assembly 100. Ambient air328 may enter from the ambient environment through the intake opening316 and may pass through a channel 336 in one or more of the electronicdisplay subassemblies 312. In exemplary embodiments, the channel 336 maybe located such that ambient air 328 passes behind the backlight 23 forthe display layer 24, though any location is contemplated. In otherexemplary embodiments, the ambient air 328 may instead pass through thehousing 314. In such embodiments, the circulating gas 326 may not berequired.

The display layer 24 may be a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), LightEmitting Diode (“LED”), Organic LED (“OLED”), type display or the like.The backlight 23 may comprise one or more incandescent light bulbs,LEDs, OLEDs, or the like. In exemplary embodiments, the backlight 23 maycomprise multiple light bulbs, LEDs, OLEDs, or the like, which may bearranged in an array on a sheet behind the display layer 24 in adirect-lit arrangement, or adjacent thereto in an edge-lit arrangement,such as but not limited to, along the edge of a light guide locatedbehind the display layer 331. In exemplary embodiments, a cover 334 maybe located in front of the display layer 331. The cover 334 may be atransparent sheet, such as but not limited to, a cover glass.

In some exemplary embodiments, the display layer 24 may be transparentor translucent. The housing 314 may be configured to locate the displaylayer 24 over the cavity 315, such as but not limited to, a cooler,vending machine, display case, or the like. In other exemplaryembodiments, the cavity 315 may provide an area for storage of variouscomponents and other equipment.

Ambient air 328 may exit the display assembly 100 through the opening316 where it may be returned to the ambient environment. The illustratedintake and exhaust points are merely exemplary. Any number and locationof intake and exhaust openings are contemplated. This pathway for theambient air 328 may define an open loop. The ambient air 328 may bemoved by one or more fans 322 placed along or near the open loop. One ormore filtration devices may likewise be placed along the open loop.While the ambient air 328 is illustrated as traveling vertically frombottom to top, it is contemplated that the ambient air 328 may alsotravel vertically from top to bottom. Alternatively, or in addition, theambient air 328 may travel horizontally.

Circulating gas 326 may travel from the cavity 315 through one or moreof the electronic display subassemblies 312. In exemplary embodiments,the circulating gas 326 may travel through a front channel 325 locatedbetween the cover 334 and the display layer 24. A similar pathway may betaken with a second flow of circulating gas 326 within the second, orany other additional electronic display subassemblies 312. Regardless,the circulating gas 326 may be returned to the cavity 315. Thispathway(s) of the circulating gas 326 may define one or more closedloops. The circulating gas 326 may be moved by one or more fans 322placed along the closed loops. While the circulating gas 326 isillustrated as traveling horizontally, it is contemplated thatalternatively, or in addition, the circulating gas 326 may travelvertically. In exemplary embodiments, the open loop and the closed loopsmay be configured to substantially prevent the ambient air 328 and thecirculating gas 326 from mixing. In particular, the closed loop may besubstantially sealed to prevent particulate in the ambient air 328 frommixing with the circulating gas 326. Any number of display subassemblies312 within a given housing 101 are contemplated.

The illustrated open loop and closed loops are merely exemplary and arenot intended to be limiting. Any pathway for ambient air 328 iscontemplated. Likewise, any pathway for circulating gas 326 iscontemplated. It is contemplated that in some embodiments, the closedloops and circulating gas 326 may not be required. In still otherexemplary embodiments, the circulating gas 326 and closed loops may belimited to traveling within the cavity 315.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of exemplary logic that may be used with any ofthe aforementioned embodiments of the display assembly 100. The locationof the display assembly 100 may be determined. In exemplary embodiments,the location may be determined by the location detection device 120.However, in other exemplary embodiments, the location may bepreprogrammed and periodically updated by user input. Regardless,weather data for the location may be gathered. In exemplary embodiments,this weather data is gathered by retrieving weather data for thelocation from one or more web services, such as but not limited toopenweathermap.org, by way of the communications network 116 and thenetwork interface device 114. Such weather data may include, but is notlimited to, temperature, air temperature, wind chill, high temperature,low temperature, average temperature, cloud cover, cloud height, chanceof rain, chance of other precipitation, the presences of rain, snow,hail, or other precipitation, dew point, humidity, barometric pressure,mist, fog, precipitation intensity, precipitation amount, haze, dust,smoke, sand, volcanic ash, wind speed, wind direction, squalls,tornadoes, dust whirls, and the like. Such weather data may includepresent weather data, historical weather data, and predicted futureweather conditions. The weather data may be stored on the electronicstorage device 118.

The characteristics of the ingested ambient air 328 may be measured.Measurements may be made by way of one or more of the sensors 27, 327.The measured characteristics may include, but are not limited to, thetemperature, moisture content, barometric pressure, speed, composition,and the like of the ingested ambient air 328. The data regardingcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air 328 may be stored on theelectronic storage device 118. One or more additional sensors 27, 327may likewise be located at or near the exhaust to measure thetemperature of the exhausted ambient air 328. Any number of sensors 27,327 at any number of locations configured to read any number ofcharacteristics of the ambient air 328 are contemplated.

The electronic storage device 118 may comprise software instructions,which when executed configure the system control board 112 and/or theprocessor 106 to compare the weather data against the measuredcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air 328. If the weather datamatches the measured characteristics of the ingested ambient air 328,then the process may be repeated continuously, at any given interval, oron demand. In exemplary embodiments, after initially determining thelocation of the display assembly 100, the steps of gathering weatherdata and measuring characteristics of the ingested air may be repeated.Stated another way, the step of determining the location of the displayassembly 100 may not necessarily require repetition.

If the weather data does not match the measured characteristics of theingested ambient air 328, then an alert may be generated. The alert maybe displayed on the display assembly 100. Alternatively, or in addition,the alert may be transmitted to one or more remote devices by way of thenetwork interface device 114 and the communications network 116. Amargin of error may be utilized such that an alert is only generatedwhen the difference between the weather data and the measuredcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air 328 is beyond the margin oferror.

The alert may be transmitted back to a remote user or remote networkoperations center 200. The alert may indicate re-ingestion of heatedexhaust ambient air or an occlusion in the open loop pathway. Occlusionsin the closed loop pathway are unlikely to be experienced as the closedloop pathway is generally, but not necessarily, substantially sealedfrom contaminants and debris which may otherwise be ingested into theopen loop pathway.

Alternatively, or in addition, if the weather data does not match themeasured characteristics of the ingested ambient air 328 the operationsof the display assembly 100 may be adjusted. For example, withoutlimitation, certain fans 26, 322 may be activated or the speed of suchfans 26, 322 may be adjusted. This may cause the ambient air 328 to beexhausted further from the display assembly 100. Additionally, oralternatively, this may cause ambient air 328 from further away from thedisplay assembly 100 to be ingested. Regardless, this may draw in cooler(or bring down the average temperature of) ambient air 328 relative tothe recently exhausted ambient air 328. If the weather data does notmatch the measured characteristics of the ingested ambient air 328, analert may be generated.

As a further example, again without limitation, the power levels for thebacklight 23 may be adjusted in response to the alert. In exemplaryembodiments, the backlight 23 may be decreased in order to reduce theamount of heat generated by the display assembly 100.

The display assembly 100 operational adjustments may be performedautomatically or manually. In other exemplary embodiments, a technicianmay be dispatched to evaluate the display assembly 100. The dispatch ofa technician may be initiated manually or automatically. For example,without limitation, the display assembly 100, or a remote networkoperations center 200, may automatically generate and transmit a requestfor service to a technician in proximity to the display assembly 100.

A margin of error may be utilized such that display operations are onlyadjusted when the difference between the weather data and the measuredcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air 328 is beyond the margin oferror. The margin of error for display operations may be the same ordifferent from the margin of error for the alert generation. The processmay be repeated continuously, or at any given interval.

The margin(s) of error may be determined, at least in part, by ananalysis of historical data or by prediction. For example, withoutlimitation, the inherent variations in weather conditions resulting fromthe distance between the location where the measurements were taken togenerate the weather data and the location of the display assembly 100may result in differences between the weather data and the measuredcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air 328. As such, the margin(s)of error may be set to reflect historical or predicted instances wherethe difference was large enough to indicate a problem with re-ingestedof exhausted ambient air 328 or occlusion in the open loop pathway(s).This may eliminate some or all instances where the difference was due tothe distance between the point of measurement or other false alarms. Asa further example, again without limitation, the margin(s) of error forone display assembly 100 may be determined by setting the same or asimilar margin(s) of error for display assemblies 100 having similardistances between the location of the display assembly 100 and thelocation of the measurement point for the weather data.

For example, without limitation, the alert may indicate re-ingestion ofexhausted ambient air 328 where the measured characteristics of theingested ambient air 328 are higher than the temperature of the ambientair as provided in the gathered weather data by the margin of error. Asa further example, without limitation, the alert may indicate anocclusion problem where the measured characteristics of the ingestedambient air 328 are changing at a rate outside the margin of error ascompared to the changes in the temperature of the ambient air asprovided in the gathered weather data.

As a further example, again without limitation, the update rate of theweather data and the measured characteristics of the ingested ambientair 328 may be different. The margin(s) of error may be higher orotherwise different during periods of temperature change, such as butnot limited to, during sunrise or sunset, when weather fronts arepassing, or the like. Similar to as described above, the margin(s) oferror in such situations may be based on an analysis of historical dataor predictions. In exemplary embodiments, the margin(s) of error may beselected to minimize or prevent the number of false alarms whilecapturing the all or most of the instances where the exhausted ambientair 328 is being re-ingested by the display assembly 100.

The historical information drawn upon may be from any one particulardisplay assembly 100 and/or any number of the display assemblies 100.Alternatively, or additionally, the historical information drawn uponmay be from historical weather data. Regardless, the analysis orprediction may be made manually or by use of an algorithm, machinelearning program, or the like. The margin(s) or error may be appliedacross any number of the display assemblies 100.

It is notable that the differences between the measured characteristicsand the gathered weather data may be based on data from a particularpoint in time. For example, without limitation, the measuredcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air may be 70 degrees Fahrenheitand the gathered weather data may be 71 degrees Fahrenheit, which may bewithin a 2 degree Fahrenheit margin of error. In other exemplaryembodiments, the differences between the measured characteristics andthe gathered weather data may be based on a rate of change of data overa particular time period. For example, without limitation, the measuredcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air may be a 2 degree Fahrenheitrise per hour and the gathered weather data may be 4 degrees Fahrenheitrise per hour, which may be outside of a 1 degree Fahrenheit per hourmargin of error.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an exemplary system illustrating multipledisplay assemblies 100 in electronic communication with the networkoperations center 200. The network operations center 200 may be remotefrom one or more of the display assemblies 100. The network operationscenter 200 may comprise or more computers. In other exemplaryembodiments, the network operations center 200 may be a personalelectronic device for a remote user. In still other exemplaryembodiments, the network operations center 200 may be in electroniccommunication with one or more remote customers by way of the customer'srespective personal electronic devices.

Any embodiment of the present invention may include any of the optionalor preferred features of the other embodiments of the present invention.The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to beexhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. Theexemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the present invention so that others skilled in the artmay practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art willrealize that many variations and modifications may be made to thedescribed invention. Many of those variations and modifications willprovide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimedinvention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention onlyas indicated by the scope of the claims.

Certain operations described herein may be performed by one or moreelectronic devices. Each electronic device may comprise one or moreprocessors, electronic storage devices, executable softwareinstructions, and the like configured to perform the operationsdescribed herein. The electronic devices may be general purposecomputers of specialized computing device. The electronic devices may bepersonal computers, smartphone, tablets, databases, servers, or thelike. The electronic connections described herein may be accomplished bywired or wireless means.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic display device, comprising: anelectronic display; a housing configured to house said electronicdisplay, forming an assembly; a thermal management subsystem formingpart of said assembly, said thermal management subsystem configured toutilize, at least in part, ingested ambient air, said ambient air fromimmediately outside said assembly, to thermally manage said assembly;one or more sensors secured at said assembly, said one or more sensorsconfigured to measure at least one characteristic of the ingestedambient air at a first time in the operation of said display, and totake a subsequent measurement of said at least one characteristic of theingested ambient air at a second time in the operation of said display;and at least one processor and at least one data storage device inassociation with said assembly, comprising software instructions, whichwhen executed, configure said at least one processor to: receive datafrom the at least one sensor, pertaining to the at least onecharacteristic of the ingested ambient air at the first time and at thesecond time; and automatically adjust an operating parameter of saidassembly when said data indicates a difference in the measured at leastone characteristic at said first time and at said second time, and whensaid difference exceeds a threshold value.
 2. The electronic displaydevice of claim 1 wherein: the at least one characteristic comprisestemperature.
 3. The electronic display device of claim 1 wherein: saidthermal management subsystem comprises at least one internal fan in saidassembly; said operating parameter comprises an operating speed of saidat least one internal fan; and said adjustment comprises increasing saidoperating speed of said at least one internal fan.
 4. The displayassembly system of claim 3 wherein: said thermal management subsystemcomprises: an intake at said housing; an exhaust at said housing; and anairflow pathway extending from said intake, through at least a portionof said housing, to said exhaust, wherein said one or more sensors arelocated along, or in fluid communication with, said airflow pathway; andsaid at least one internal fan is located along said airflow pathway. 5.The electronic display device of claim 1 wherein: said electronicdisplay comprises a backlight; said operating parameter comprises anoperating power level of said backlight; and said adjustment comprisesreducing said operating power level of said backlight.
 6. The electronicdisplay device of claim 1 wherein: each of the first time and the secondtime comprises a respective plurality of seconds; and the data receivedfor each of the first time and the second time comprises a respectiveplurality of measurements.
 7. The electronic display device of claim 6wherein: the at least one data storage device comprises additionalsoftware instructions, which when executed, configure said at least oneprocessor to: determine a first rate of change of said measurements forsaid first time; determine a second rate of change of said measurementsfor said second time; and said threshold value comprises a maximumacceptable rate of change.
 8. The electronic display device of claim 7wherein: said first time at least partially overlaps with said secondtime.
 9. The electronic display device of claim 6 wherein: the at leastone data storage device comprises additional software instructions,which when executed, configure said at least one processor to:electronically gather weather condition information for the first time;electronically gather weather condition information for the second time;determine a first rate of change of said weather condition informationfor said first time; determine a second rate of change of said weathercondition information for said second time; determine a first rate ofchange of said measurements for said first time; determine a second rateof change of said measurements for said second time; and said thresholdvalue comprises, for the first time, the first rate of change of saidweather condition information for said first time with a margin, and,for the second time, the second rate of change of said weather conditioninformation for said second time with a same or different margin. 10.The electronic display device of claim 9 further comprising: a locationdetection device configured to determine a location of said electronicdisplay device; and a network interface device, wherein said weathercondition information is gathered from one or more internet-basedsources queried with the location at the first time and the second time.11. The electronic display device of claim 1 wherein: said at least onedata storage device and said at least one processor are located withinsaid housing.
 12. An electronic display device, comprising: anelectronic display; a housing for said electronic display; a thermalmanagement subsystem comprising at least one airflow pathway through thehousing and at least one fan for ingesting ambient air from asurrounding environment, passing the ingested ambient air through theairflow pathway, and exhausting said ingested ambient air to saidsurrounding environment; one or more sensors for measuringcharacteristics of the ingested ambient air; and one or more electronicstorage devices comprising software instructions, which when executed,configure one or more processors to: receive measurements from the oneor more sensors regarding the characteristics of the ingested ambientair over a period of time; and adjust an operating parameter of theelectronic display device if the measurements change at a rate differentfrom an acceptable rate of change.
 13. The electronic display device ofclaim 12 wherein: said one or more electronic storage devices compriseadditional software instructions, which when executed, configure saidone or more processors to: gather weather condition information for asecond period of time; and determine a rate of change of the weathercondition information over the second period of time; and the acceptablerate of change comprises the rate of change of the weather conditioninformation with a margin.
 14. The electronic display device of claim 13wherein: the second period of time at least partially overlaps with theperiod of time.
 15. The electronic display device of claim 13 furthercomprising: a location detection device configured to determine alocation of said electronic display device; and a network interfacedevice, wherein said weather condition information is gathered from oneor more internet-based sources queried with the location for the secondperiod of time.
 16. The electronic display device of claim 12 wherein:the operating parameter comprises one or more operational setpoints ofthe at least one fan.
 17. The electronic display device of claim 12wherein: the operating parameter comprises one or more operationalsetpoints of a backlight for the electronic display.
 18. The electronicdisplay device of claim 12 wherein: the characteristics of the ingestedambient air comprise temperature.
 19. An electronic display device,comprising: a liquid crystal type electronic display; a housing for saidelectronic display; a thermal management subsystem for the electronicdisplay provided at the housing and comprising at least one airflowpathway through the housing and at least one fan for ingesting ambientair from a surrounding environment, passing the ingested ambient airthrough the airflow pathway, and exhausting said ingested ambient air tosaid surrounding environment; one or more sensors for measuringtemperature of the ingested ambient air at the airflow pathway; anetwork interface device; and one or more electronic storage devicescomprising software instructions, which when executed, configure one ormore processors to: receive measurements from the one or more sensorsregarding the temperature of the ingested ambient air over a period oftime; determine a measured rate of change for the measurements over theperiod of time; determine a location of the electronic display device;query one or more internet-based sources, by way of the networkinterface device, for ambient temperature information over the period oftime; determine an expected rate of change from the ambient temperatureinformation over the period of time; and modify operational setpointsfor the electronic display device if the measured rate of change isdifferent from the expected rate of change by at least a predeterminedamount.